88 - Betting, Competition (3) - The Heaven-Slaying Sword

Dong! Dong! Dong! The sound of the drum along with the referee's voice resonated. Today's martial arts referee was the Azure Dragon Chief, Gi Taewoon. "Let the match begin!" There was a deliberately stern tone in his voice. It was as if he made it clear that not even the slightest frivolity would be tolerated. Smiling dryly at that, Jegal San stood up. "I shall take my leave." "Jegal hyung! Fight with strength! I will be cheering for you vigorously!" Mok Riwon shouted excitedly, though it wasn't exactly encouraging. Of course, it wasn't. The prickly gaze of Dang Hwa-seo by his side was the reason why. 'If I lose, it'll be as good as my funeral day.' Jegal San realized that it was indeed possible to threaten someone with just a look. Dang Hwa-seo’s glaring eyes were particularly fearsome. All that came out of her mouth was a sigh. 'How am I supposed to... I'm not even Mok Awoo.' To face ten opponents. Of course, it wasn't that he couldn't fight if needed, but being someone who usually preferred not to step forward, the burden of those watching made it a tense moment. 'Hmm...' Scratching the back of his head, Jegal San looked at the ten warriors from Jin Won-dan. '...One first-rate, nine second-rate.' Discarded cards. Should he be glad to find himself in a situation of shared misery? Or should he reassure himself about a seemingly easy match than expected? In the midst of such thoughts. "To your positions!" Gi Taewoon shouted. Click! The warriors from Jin Won-dan moved in unison to take their places. It was the formation of an alliance. Jegal San's sly eyes slightly relaxed into a narrower gaze. It was the expression that surfaced as his mind settled. 'A formation, huh...' After all, being the Young Master of the Jegal Clan, he wondered what their intentions were in facing him with a formation. To call it strategy seemed far-fetched given the visible tension and seriousness among the warriors. Jegal San licked his lips with his tongue. 'Even I would feel offended getting underestimated to this extent.' Clack. Jegal San pulled a jade stone from his pocket. "Begin!" At Gi Taewoon's command, the warriors stepped forward simultaneously. Swordsmen in the forefront, followed by spearmen. Five swords and five spears surrounded Jegal San in a circular formation. Circular Formation. A formation well-known enough for even low-ranking warriors of the league to recognize, simple yet effective. And to Jegal San, the way to break this formation seemed all too easy. Thud. He threw the jade stone onto the ground. Consequently, a strange event took place. "Gasps!" The swords' paths wavered. A momentary distortion in vision and perception occurred, twisting their movements, and soon, the spearmen's spears began to deviate as well. A circular formation meant to attack the center without any gaps. It became distorted, no longer focusing solely on the center. Boom! In the midst of entangled swords and spears, Jegal San stood in his original pose, stroking his chin. "Using a formation was too much. After all, I am a Jegal." Jegal San pushed one of the swords in front of him with his foot. Unleashing his internal energy from the dantian. "And a dragon." Tap! As he stepped down, Jegal San's figure blurred. Employing the most mystically subtle of footwork, the Jegal Clan's secret technique. Each step turned into a tactic, the Heavenly Unpredictable Step. "Mu… st…" Before one of the warriors could even finish his word of surprise, Jegal San, appearing before him suddenly, struck his chin with a palm. Crack! "…Gnk!" With a head-shaking impact, the warrior fell. Before the others could react, Jegal San, leaving only a faint mirage behind, began taking down the warriors one by one. Employing the footwork, it took just ten moves. "Ah… So he truly is a dragon, after all." As someone murmured, Jegal San had swiftly taken down ten warriors in a blink. "Jegal! Victory!" "Wooohoo!" As Gi Taewoon announced the verdict, Mok Riwon cheered loudly. Responding to Mok Riwon's cheers with a thumbs-up, Jegal San then turned to look at Dang Hwa-seo. 'Phew…' What flowed out was a sigh of relief. Fortunately, Dang Hwa-seo was nodding with a satisfied smile on her face. Jegal San had safely guarded his honor for the day. * Gang Chan let out an "Oh!" in admiration. "So he is indeed the son of the King of Swords! He has some skill!" "That’s not the end of it." Kwon Pyowol said with a smile. As Gang Chan tilted his head, Kwon Pyowol continued to speak with a smiling face. "I’ve faced him directly before." During a friendly match that happened previously. That day, Kwon Pyowol had faced, starting with Mok Riwon, six warriors from Yongbong Clan one after the other. Naturally, Mok Riwon and Namgung Jinchun had been the most exceptional. However, if he were to name the next most outstanding, without a moment's hesitation, Kwon Pyowol would name Jegal San. 'For some reason, he doesn’t seem to want to reveal his true ability.' While it was a commendable attitude for a martial artist, Jegal San seemed to have an almost obsessive aspect to him that made such a demeanor hard to simply dismiss. It wasn't just about hiding a secret weapon; it felt like he was concealing a move that should never be exposed. "There must be a reason, but it's concerning." Kwon Pyowol had been living in the martial world of the Central Plains since the day of the blood feud. He knew that typically, those who hide their true capabilities to such a degree have a clear target for their hidden blade. "You always have something up your sleeve! Share it with me too!" "Sorry. It would be impolite to speak out of turn." Kwon Pyowol brushed off Gang Chan's complaint and pointed towards the arena. "Look, Kwon Ryong Il-woon is making his way up. Pay attention." "Eh…" Gang Chan licked his lips, looking up at the arena. It was Kwon Ryong Il-woon's turn. He was up against five first-rate and five second-rate warriors. The mercenaries from the inner chambers had yet to appear. What was there to watch? It was a decisive victory for Kwon Ryong Il-woon. He even won without using a single bit of his internal energy, relying solely on his physical skills. "This is why they speak so highly of the Shaolin." The later disciples of Mount Tai's North Star were strong. * "Great work!" "Good job." "Thank you." Hyeun smiled softly, watching Il-woon bow his head, then stood up from her seat. "Guess it's my turn now?" Hyeun's face was indifferent. It wasn’t exactly a time when she urgently needed to advance her training, and she found these many-against-one matches mentally exhausting and somewhat detested them. However, she couldn't just not participate. 'I should finish this quickly and get out of here.' The mercenaries would likely be placed in the last third group. Considering her opponents ranged from second to first-rate warriors, Hyeun just wanted to get this over with and go out. Seeing Dang Hwa-seo’s disgruntled expression, a clean victory might even earn her permission for a night out. A faint smile appeared on Hyeun's face at the thought. And then. '…Huh?' Hyeun's eyes caught one of the warriors as she stepped into the arena. He was a young second-rate warrior. His age seemed similar to Mok Riwon, but he was a head shorter than the others and had a delicate face, almost girlish in appearance. Pale skin and a slender appearance. This was one of Hyeun's preferred tastes. Hyeun licked her lips. 'This changes things.' "Positions!" At Gi Taewoon's command, Hyeun moved to her spot. Her eyes met with the young warrior's for a moment. As Hyeun smiled with her eyes, the young warrior blushed and looked down. 'How cute.' Change of plans. She found no need to leave anymore. "Begin!" The match started at Gi Taewoon's command. Clang! Hyeun easily blocked the attacking warrior's sword without looking. Her gaze remained fixed on the young man. Meanwhile, another warrior blocked her view and swung his sword at her. Hyeun frowned and brushed off his attack. Clang! "Move aside. Can't you see?" Domination. That was the only way to describe it. Hyeun sighed and began to wield her sword forcefully, knocking down all the other warriors except for the young man. "Argh!" "Guk!" "Eek!" The warriors groaned as they kneeled under the force of Hyeun's sword. After all nine had fallen, "My, looks like you're the only one left?" Only the young warrior from Jin Won-dan, So-o, and Hyeun were left in the arena. So-o gulped. Then Hyeun grinned. "Could you go easy on me?" Hyeun vanished in an instant. Startled, So-o yelled "Aack!" and swung his sword randomly. Clang! His sword collided with Hyeun's. But what followed was unlike before. "Ah…!" Hyeun squinted her eyes shut and staggered, pretending to be pitiful, her unarmed fist covering her cheek. Yes. She started acting flirtatiously. "My, your internal energy is quite impressive…" Hyeun complemented So-o, lifting his spirits. So-o was puzzled. Wouldn't he be? The woman, who had effortlessly swept away her seniors, suddenly acted this way, leaving him utterly confused. However, So-o was too young to understand Hyeun's true intentions. Hyeun thought he was the same age as Mok Riwon, but So-o was actually younger, a mere 16 years old, just reaching adulthood. Moreover, having trained solely in swordsmanship since childhood, he was a pure soul, utterly clueless about women. So, he thought. 'Could it be…!' Did the seniors manage to exhaust the White Phoenix's power? Perhaps the White Phoenix was now much weaker than before! 'Seniors!' So-o looked at his fallen seniors with determination. They must not have fallen in vain, he thought. "Haah!" So-o's cry was filled with resolve. His charging steps brimmed with spirit. His eyes burned with intensity. Hyeun chuckled. "Kyaa!" Clang! Hyeun's sword clashed with So-o's in a movement so precise it sent shivers down the spine. The power embedded within was equal, leading to a balanced exchange. Swords met and parted repeatedly, blending So-o's battle cries with Hyeun's feigned screams atop the arena. Yet, in the midst of the fierce motions, Hyeun never forgot to exchange glances. She pretended to bump into him unintentionally due to the vigorous movement, and at times, intentionally brushed her hand against So-o's neck or let out a soft moan, continuing the swordplay. The effect was undeniable. So-o's face gradually reddened until it matched the color of a ripe tomato. "Heuk… Heuk…!" Confused and hesitant, So-o fumbled his steps, causing the audience below the arena to fall into silence. Amid this, Mok Riwon turned to Dang Hwa-seo and said, "So, Miss…" "Mok Warrior. Close your eyes." "Eh, What?" "Close them." Don't watch this. With that stern look from Dang Hwa-seo, Mok Riwon, startled, squeezed his eyes shut. "Is, is this alright?" "Yes, that's fine." Dang Hwa-seo watched Hyeun with a furious glare. The cackling laughter that seemed too thrilled was irritating. 'A meeting is necessary.' A very long meeting. Clang! Amidst it all, the final exchange took place. So-o's sword missed Hyeun by a hair's breadth, a near miss that could be considered barely touching. "It was a good match. Warrior." Hyeun offered her hand, helping the fallen So-o to his feet. So-o's body stiffened. Hyeun struggled to suppress a smile ascending the corners of her mouth and whispered to the standing So-o, "Warrior?" "Yes, Yes?!" "It was a fine duel. If Warrior permits, I'd like to exchange views on martial arts separately afterward…" So-o's pupils trembled as if struck by an earthquake. "…Would that be too presumptuous?" At the tender voice of Hyeun, So-o shook his head vigorously. "No, not at all!" "Oh, thank you!" Her charming laughter echoed in his ears, causing an inexplicable flutter in So-o's heart. 'What, what is this feeling…!' Jin Won-dan's youngest member, the 16-year-old So-o, had unwittingly fallen into a trap he should have avoided.